Churches add a lot to downtown Palm Springs

10:44 PM,
Oct. 26, 2013

Kevin A. Johnson.

Written by

Kevin A. Johnson
Special to The Desert Sun

This Halloween season, two Coachella Valley cities are whistling past the graveyard of religious liberty restriction. Both are confirming beliefs that it is OK to ban religious institutions from using downtown for religious expression.

In doing so, city officials disagree with published legal experts regarding land use law for religious expression. Experts cite the bipartisan Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000, sponsored by Republican Orin Hatch and Democrat Ted Kennedy, which passed in Congress unanimously.